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The southern polar vortex is currently showing rare signs of extreme instability, leading to fears that it could collapse, bringing both icy blasts and extreme heatwaves to the southern hemisphere. Likewise, the northern polar vortex had yet another wild winter this year, and with climate change set to intensify these perilous polar patterns, we could […]

Fancy a brighter, whiter smile? You’re not the only one. An estimated 35.22 million people in the US are expected to use some sort of tooth whitener this year – but do any of the most popular methods they might end up using actually work? Advertisement Before we get started, it should be noted that […]

Imagine not letting your butt rest on a solid surface for an entire week. That means no chilling in an armchair while watching TV, no sinking into an ergonomic office chair and no sitting on the toilet seat while you poop. Advertisement To find out what that’s like, YouTuber pigmie recently attempted to go seven […]

A popular natural rock feature that stood for millions of years has come crashing down into Lake Powell in Utah’s Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Known as the Double Arch, the stunning geological attraction had been one of the park’s most visited beauty spots, but collapsed on Thursday, August 8th. Advertisement Also known as the […]

Look at a map of faults and fault lines in the US, and much of it will look pretty much like you’d expect, assuming you’ve ever heard of the San Andreas Fault. Basically, there’s nothing between the East Coast and, oh, Denver or so, and then suddenly the country turns into a mess of seismic […]

This week, the first-ever archaeological survey in space was carried out on the ISS, we investigated if the Egyptians really built their oldest pyramid with a hydraulic lift, and we explained why people are so excited about Perseverance’s “possible biosignature” discovery on Mars. Finally, we asked why we believe in urban legends like the Russian sleep experiment. […]

It’s easy to assume that “big” equals “strong”. If you pitted an elephant and a guinea pig against each other in a weightlifting contest, it’s pretty easy to guess how that would go… or is it? While some of the strongest bones to be found in the animal kingdom do belong to the traditional big […]

Sometimes the natural world and the world of computer and video games have a little bit of a crossover – from the frightening zombie fungus from The Last Of Us, to the subject of today’s article. Meet the Pacman frog. Pacman frogs aren’t really called Pacman frogs but because of their pleasingly round bodies and […]

This week on Break It Down: the first archaeological study takes place outside of Earth, the oldest calendar might show a comet impact, a new study thinks the ancient Egyptians were using hydraulic tech to build the pyramids (others disagree), what a rock on Mars could tell us about potential life in the Solar System, […]

Ever thought, “I’d really like a game of table tennis,” but had no one to play with? Well, do we have the scientific breakthrough for you! Google DeepMind has just unveiled a robot that could give you a run for your money in a match, but don’t assume you’d be in for a trouncing – […]

In a matter of days, the European Space Agency’s JUICE mission will attempt a completely new maneuver that breaks two records: It will be the first time a spacecraft uses two objects for a gravity assist maneuver, and it will be the first-ever Lunar-Earth flyby. The Lunar-Earth Gravity Assist (LEGA) is expected to save JUICE […]

From the life of the Buddha to A Christmas Carol, to, heck, even Aladdin, the idea that money can’t buy us happiness is pretty baked into most human cultures. Like so many “common sense” ideas, though, it seems like it’s dead wrong – at least, according to a new study from happiness researcher Matthew Killingsworth. […]

Comet 13P/Olbers is a period comet that visits the inner Solar System every 69 years. It flew past its closest point to the Sun on June 30 and is now on its long journey back away. But it has come at a particular active point in the solar cycle. The Sun is currently at or […]

IFLScience needs the contact information you provide to us to contact you about our products and services. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For information on how to unsubscribe, as well as our privacy practices and commitment to protecting your privacy, check out ourPrivacy Policy Deborah BloomfieldSource Link: Legends Of The Bondo […]

Our best estimates of the composition of the universe indicate that it is mostly dark matter and dark energy, neither of which have been detected on Earth. Even the baryonic matter we sometimes call the “observable universe” is three quarters hydrogen and 23 percent helium, by mass, and even less if you’re counting atoms. It’s […]

It looks like a baby dragon from Game of Thrones or perhaps a desert-dwelling Pokémon, but the armadillo girdled lizard is very much a real animal. Advertisement They are known by a few different names – including the armadillo lizard, the armadillo spiny-tailed lizard, and the golden-armadillo lizard – although they’re scientifically known as Ouroborus cataphractus. […]

Authorities in Spain are investigating a 39-year-old man after it was discovered that, on a quest to get some exciting photos for social media, he had poured water over 6,000-year-old cave paintings, causing them to be damaged. Advertisement Agents from the Spanish Civil Guard’s Nature Protection Service (SEPRONA) launched the investigation in May, after coming […]

While the light and relaxing soundtrack of a nature documentary might make it seem otherwise, nature is, in fact, very noisy – but in a cacophony of different animal sounds, which one rises above the rest? The loudest animal in the world The battle for which animal is the loudest takes place in the ocean […]

A “Global Glacier Casualty List” is being set up by scientists to keep tabs on the ice sheets that fall victim to climate change. If things continue as they are, the database will have a lot of work on its hands: two-thirds of the world’s glaciers are on track to disappear by the end of […]

The Perseids meteor shower continues to be the most popular in the Northern Hemisphere as it peaks in the warmth of August. It is also the most active in this period and one of the most active across the year, consistently delivering spectacles. The peak is happening the night between August 11 and August 12, […]